On the Road ... Running in the Bavarian Alps

Up a Mountain Slowly

in three days is like ordering a half-pint of Hefeweizen in a German beer hall. It's satisfying but hardly fulfilling, and you wish you could stay for at least a couple more rounds.I knew travel running in Germany wouldn't be complete without a taste of its vast natural landscape. If nothing else, Bavaria's sprawling expanse would offer a break from the crowded streets of Europe's busiest city centers and a chance to do some true trail running. The runs that resulted were as breathtaking as they were exhausting. They left me with a winded diaphragm, tired legs and a great appreciation for Germany's love of the outdoors.

Bavaria covers about 43,500 square miles, slightly larger than Virginia, and is the largest of Germany's 16 federal states. Surrounding the region on Germany's southern and eastern borders are the Bavarian Alps and Nationalpark Bayerischer and Nationalpark Berchtesgaden, two large national parks that have been virtually untouched by human intervention and remain areas of great natural beauty.